7 Benefits of TRX Suspension Training
Want to know how exercising with a TRX benefits your body? Suspension trainer systems can be used in a variety of ways to achieve different fitness goals, including strengthening and building your muscles, staying fit and burning fat.
What’s more, they’re convenient and time efficient and, all things considered, relatively inexpensive. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of trx you should know.
What are the benefits of TRX? The TRX benefits your body and health state. Major suspension training benefits include building strength and muscle, losing weight and improving cardiovascular health, unlocking mobility and flexibility, and training balance and stability. Plus, a TRX lets you work out virtually anywhere.
Overview Of TRX As An Effective Tool For Training
In recent years, suspension training has become increasingly popular as an effective full-body workout method, especially at home or outdoors. To perform suspension exercises, you only need a suspension system like the TRX and a raised surface for anchoring.
But what is TRX suspension training, exactly? A TRX suspension trainer typically consists of two adjustable straps with handles at each end. These straps connect in the middle with another strap, forming a Y-shape. The single strap side is then anchored to an elevated surface – such as a ceiling, door, or tree branch – while the handles are left “hanging” down.
It’s important to anchor the TRX at a horizontal angle. That way, when the athlete grabs onto the handles, they can use their own body weight to “suspend” themselves. By leveraging the force of gravity against their bodyweight, the TRX creates resistance, allowing for strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance training.
Strength And Muscle Building Benefits Of TRX
While it may not provide the same level of external resistance as traditional weightlifting with dumbbells or barbells, a TRX system can be used for strength and muscle training. One of the major benefits of suspension training over traditional weighted exercises is the ability to easily adjust resistance by simply changing the angle of your body.
The logic is simple: the steeper the angle you take, the more of your body weight is suspended by the straps, rather than carried on your legs or by an exercise machine seat. This way, you use your natural weight as resistance and dictate the exercise tempo. To adjust your body position, simply take steps forward or backwards and lean in or out until you find a comfortable spot.
Moreover, suspension training like the TRX has shown to increase muscle activation compared to stable surfaces. Due to the unstable nature of the exercise, it not only activates the muscles targeted by the exercise, but also engages the surrounding muscle stabilizers. If you feel your body shaking and twitching, that is the effect taking place. This type of exercise not only trains your strength and builds muscle, but actively engages your stability and endurance as well.
Suspension training for strength and muscle building is also highly recommended for the older population. It has been found to be more effective than traditional resistance training in mitigating the age-related decline in muscle mass and handgrip strength.
Some suspended strength training exercises to try with your TRX:
- Rowing variations
- Biceps curls
- Triceps press
- Chest Press
- Squat
✅ Cardiovascular Fitness and Fat Burning
Although suspension training like the TRX is primarily used in strength and resistance exercises, it can be incorporated into popular freestyle cardio workouts to increase their challenge and up the intensity.
When it comes to building up your cardiovascular fitness and losing weight, It’s no secret that any exercise is better than no exercise. So, if you don’t have the ability to perform traditional cardio exercises like cycling or running, a home cardio workout combined with the TRX for added resistance is a good alternative.
Research observing cardiovascular responses to suspension training with the TRX found the participants reduced waist circumference, blood pressure, and body fat and burned roughly 400 calories per training session. Additionally, TRX training has proven helpful in treatment for type-2 diabetes (T2D), regulating blood sugar levels and improving lipid profiles.
Some suspended strength training exercises to try with your TRX:
- Jump squat
- Jump lunges
- Lateral shuffles
- Knee tucks
- Mountain Climbers
✅ Improved Flexibility and Mobility With TRX
Your TRX suspension system can be used to improve your flexibility and mobility by adding your natural weight as resistance to popular stretch exercises. During suspension training, you are already hanging from the handles either with your arms or legs, while gravity naturally pulls you down and stretches your body.
For example, studies observing the effects of TRX exercises saw an increase in functional reach in participants. A functional reach is your ability to effectively extend your arms from a still position without bending other body parts. This is not only helpful for daily life, but especially important for senior people, since low functional reach leads to extensive bending over, loss of balance, and falling.
Applying pressure through resistance to a stretching exercise is known as Assisted Stretching. By hanging our stretch to the opposite of the TRX, we create a counterforce that allows us to perform a deeper and more controlled stretch. Assisted Stretching is a highly effective and recommended method of increasing mobility and flexibility, especially for older adults.
Here are some flexibility and mobility exercises to try with your TRX include:
- Lateral lunges
- Arm swings
- Pike-ups
- Assisted stretches
- Or simply hanging and using your body weight to stretch
✅ Enhanced Stability And Balance
One of the major benefits of suspension training is its inherent dynamic nature. We’ve already touched upon the fact that major muscle stabilizers activate during a suspended exercise. In addition to that your core muscles are activated throughout the entire workout to maintain your body in the air.
During most suspended exercise, you maintain your balance and stability by gripping on the handles with your arms or legs to prevent falling. Over time, you should experience an improvement in comfort, stability, and the ability to lower your center of gravity, thereby increasing resistance and challenge in your workouts.
Notably, studies have provided supporting evidence, demonstrating that individuals who underwent just six weeks of suspension training exhibited improved overall balance and stability.
Some stability and balance exercises to try with your TRX:
- Single-legged squat
- Single-leg hip hinge
- Cross-lunge
- Suspended plank
- Side plank
✅ Versatility And Accessibility Of TRX
It’s hard to find a single piece of exercise equipment that’s more versatile than a TRX suspension system. Not only can it be used for all the above-mentioned training purposes, as research shows, it does so to a great effect.
What’s more, the ease of use and low-impact nature of the TRX means it’s highly accessible. The resistance can easily be altered from low to high, letting you easily change exercise difficulty on the go. Both complete novices and advanced athletes can find a suspension system training regimen that fits their fitness level and exercise goals.
✅ Time Efficiency And Convenience
A TRX suspension trainer is as time efficient and convenient as it can be. With a single exercise tool, you can perform a range of exercises at home, in the office, outdoors, or pretty much anywhere else you find yourself. As long as you have a place to anchor your TRX, you’re set.
Don’t have access to a gym? Use your suspension trainer to do a full body workout. Going on a holiday? No reason to forego physical fitness, pack your TRX and train on the go.
✅ Rehabilitation And Injury Recovery Benefits Of TRX
A TRX training system can be an effective training tool if you have an injury or chronic pain that prevents you from using traditional training equipment. In contrast to traditional weight-bearing exercises that can place stress on your body, especially the joints, TRX offers a low-impact workout experience. You have full control over how much resistance you feel by simply adjusting the angle until you feel comfortable. Additionally, TRX enables you to work with your own body weight, allowing you to exercise within your familiar range rather than adding external weights like dumbbells or barbells.
TRX training is also a safe method of exercising, even when alone. There are machines or equipment you have to get off of or drop in case of emergency. Most exercises can be easily ejected from by simply moving closer to the anchor point until your weight is supported by your feet again. Even in situations where you’re exercising at a steep angle and unable to regain your footing, you can simply step or slide forward until you’re close enough to either assume a squat position or are fully seated on the ground.
✅ Mental and Mind-Body Benefits
Research shows that engaging in physical activities improves our mental health. Exercise is known to release “happiness” chemicals, including Dopamine, Serotonin, and Noradrenaline, into our system.
Moreover, working out improves our mood and self-perception. According to a report by Harvard medical school, exercise has greater effects on treating depression than medication in non-severe cases and is especially good as a long-term solution.
We Recommend – TRX Sweat System
There are plenty of imitation suspension systems on the market, but nothing beats the original TRX. In particular, the TRX Sweat System has everything you need. Made from a high-quality nylon and anchored using a powerful metal carabiner, it can support up to 700 pounds of user weight.
It comes packaged in a mesh carry bag for easy transportation and storage, and includes a quick-mounting door anchor as well.
FAQ
Does TRX Burn Belly Fat?
Like any form of physical exercise, training with your TRX can lead to an increase in calorie consumption and thus losing weight. However, if you’re new to fitness, it’s important to know that targeted weight loss is not possible. You can’t use a TRX, or any other exercise for that matter, to specifically burn away belly fat.
Instead, you have to lose weight in your entire body by entering what is known as a Calorie Deficit. What this means is, you have to expend more energy through daily physical activity than you take in through food and drink. This is the only scientifically proven way to lose weight.
Is TRX Better Than Gym?
A TRX is a good substitute equipment for many typical workouts, but it’s not going to replace a well-equipped gym which can, among other exercise equipment, have a suspension system too.
One of the benefits of TRX suspension training is that it’s convenient, affordable, easy to carry, and brings good value for money. If you simply want to stay fit and exercise at home, the TRX is a good solution.
That said, despite all the benefits, some people may consider the dynamic nature of suspension training a disadvantage compared to isolated gym machines.
Should I Do TRX Everyday?
Whether you should train with your TRX every day or have rest days between your workouts depends on factors like your fitness level, goals, exercise intensity, etc. That said, research suggests that exercising with lower intensity and for a shorter amount of time more frequently yields greater results than having fewer but more intense exercise sessions.
Generally speaking, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends between 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week for adults and seniors. A typical TRX workout is considered moderately intense, resulting in an average heart rate of about 131.3 bpm (beats per minute) and exercise intensity of 5.8 METs.
Conclusion
This concludes our topic on how TRX benefits your workout. Now you know why suspension trainers like the TRX Sweat System are rising in popularity both at the gym and as a home exercise solution.
Suspension training benefits the mind and body, as well as your wallet. With one exercise tool, you can train up your strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and more from virtually any location you find yourself.
We’d also like to hear from you. Have you tried suspension training before? Do you plan on using your TRX to work out at home?
Let us know by leaving a comment and remember to follow our social media pages for more valuable fitness content.
Also read:
References:
- MUSCLE ACTIVATION PATTERNS // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5294946/
- Effects of a 12-Week Suspension // MDPI: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/7/2267
- The Acute and Chronic Health Benefits of TRX // ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308034472
- The Effects of TRX Suspension Training with Taurine Supplementation // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8621658/
- Efficacy of a 6-Week Suspension Training // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9362890/
- Functional Reach Test // PhysioPedia: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Functional_Reach_Test_(FRT)
- Why You Should Try Assisted Stretching // ClevelandClinic: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/assisted-stretching/
- The effects of an active-assisted stretching program // NCBI: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19503774/
- Exercise Benefits Brain Function // NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061837/
- Dopamine // ClevelandClinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine
- Serotonin // ClevelandClinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin
- Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline) ClevelandClinic// : https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22610-norepinephrine-noradrenaline
- Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight depression // Harvard: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression
- Caloric Deficit: What to Know // WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/diet/calorie-deficit
- Fat loss depends on energy deficit only // PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18025815/
- Greater effects by performing a small number of eccentric contractions daily // Wiley Online Library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.14220
- Physical activity // World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
- The Acute and Chronic Health Benefits of TRX // ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308034472
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Author: Ihor Shymechko
Pro Olympic Weightlifter, Coach
Best Results: Snatch – 208 kg,
C&J – 240 kg
Ihor has been a professional weightlifter since 1996, boasting over two decades of competition experience. His notable achievements include clinching the European Championship in 2009 and securing a silver medal in the 105kg division at the Senior World Championships in 2011. Ihor represented his country in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics. After retiring from competitive weightlifting, he transitioned to coaching, leveraging his vast experience to guide athletes who now compete on both national and international stages.